Building smartphone microscopes

Zoom in on Zebrafish is a cross-curricula project that first sees S1 pupils build their own smartphone microscopes from scratch within their Design and Technology lessons.

The materials to make the smartphone microscopes are funded by Edinburgh BioQuarter.

“Making the smartphone microscope was really cool. I’d never done anything like it before.” (Pupil)

Exploring Zebrafish

Once their microscopes are made, the pupils experience a lesson, delivered by MSc students, about zebrafish, their use and care in Biomedical science.

Supported by the Zebrafish facility at the University of Edinburgh’s Queens Medical Research Institute, the young people get the fascinating experience of visualising zebrafish larvae, eggs and food through their own microscopes.

Demonstrating Science

The pupils then become ‘science demonstrators’ at the Craigmillar Community Science Festival.

They share their knowledge and demonstrate the use of their microscopes with the zebrafish to their families, members of their community and other festival-goers.